A world Cup qualifier hat-trick against Bhutan was enough for China’s Xu Yang to top the poll at end of June 2015 with 11 goals. Yang scored 5 goals for China and 6 for his club, Shandong Luneng Taishan F.C. He is followed by UAE’s Ahmed Khalil of Al Ahli Dubai and Brazil’s Neymar of FC Barcelona with 9 goals each.

At the end of May 2015, Ahmed Khalil of Al Ahli Dubaï and United Arab Emirates tops the list of The World’s Best Top Goalscorer 2015 with 9 goals. Khalil scored 5 goals for his club in AFC Champions League and 4 goals for the National Team of UAE. He is followed by 3 players with 8 goals : Argentine Gustavo Bou of Racing Club de Avellaneda, Brazilian Ricardo Goulart of Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao and Macedonian Riste Naumov of Ayeyawady United, each of them having scored 8 goals only with his club in continental cups.

31 players with Carlos Bacca (Colombia/Sevilla FC), Neymar (Brazil/FC Barcelona) or Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid CF), scored 5 or more goals. By nationality, 10 come from CONMEBOL, 10 from AFC, 7 from UEFA, 3 from CAF and 1 from OFC. By club football, 15 play in AFC, 8 in UEFA, 5 in CONMEBOL and 1 in each of CONCACAF, CAF and OFC. Argentina is the country with the most players (4), followed by Brazil, Spain and UAE (2 each).

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), as the officially recognized World Federation for Football History and Statistics, condemns any form of fraud, corruption, collusion or action which threatens the true integrity of the game anywhere in the world.

The current situation with FIFA officials relating to allegations of corruption and bribery is sad and embarrassing news. The massive investigation conducted by the US Department of Justice sends a clear message to sporting officials who seek to serve their own interest ahead of the sport they represent.

Members of the IFFHS support the investigation and re-iterate their pledge to fully maintain the principles of sport and the FIFA motto of Fair Play.

The IFFHS Executive Committee hold a meeting last week from 15 to 17 Mai 2015 in Dubaï at the Möwenpick Hotel. The members, who made a great work for the future under the presidence of H.E. Sheikh Saleh Salem Bahwini, had a long and rich three days program with constructive discussions, plans and decisions. In the next days, the IFFHS will publish some of that decisions.

Lukaku joined by two Argentines

Three players are joint top goalscorers till the end of April 2015; two Argentines, Darío Benedetto (Club América) and Gustavo Bou (Racing Club de Avellaneda) and Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku (Everton FC). Each of the three players scored seven goals for his club in continental competitions. The trio are followed by another trio from Asian Club competitions; Dickson Nwakaeme (Pahang FA), Ricardo Goulart (Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao) and Riste Naumov (Ayeyawady United FC) with six goals each.

The top national team goalscorers are Ali Mabkhout for UAE, Hamza Al Dardour for Jordan and Mohammad Al Sahlawi for Saudi Arabia with five goals each.

42 players scored four or more goals, by continent, they are 17 South Americans, 12 Asians, 6 Europeans, 4 Africans, 2 from Oceania and 1 from CONCACAF. By club football, 16 play in Asia, 11 in Europe, 8 in South America, 3 in Oceania, 3 in CONCACAF and 1 in Africa.

The ranking of the IFFHS World Top Goalscorer at end March 2015 was topped by Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, scoring 7 goals for Everton FC in Europa League. He is followed by two South Americans, Gustavo Bou of Argentina and Racing Club de Avellaneda and Ricardo Goulart of Brazil and Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao with 6 goals each. All 3 players scored all their goals on club competitions.

Behind them, 4 players have scored 5 goals, 3 players only with their national team, Ali Mabkhout from UAE, Hamza Al Dardour from Jordan and Mohammad Al Sahlawi from Saudi Arabia. The first of the ranking who scored goals in all competitions (country and club) is Ahmed Khalil from Al Ahli Dubaï and UAE with a total of 5 goals.

17 players scored 4 or more goals. By nationality, they are 6 South Americans, 6 Asians, 3 Europeans and 2 Africans. Argentina is the country with most players with 4 (Gustavo Bou, Guido Carillo, Gonzalo Higuain and Rodrigo Palacio), followed by United Arab Emirates with 2 (Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil).

On club level, 7 players have a club in Europe, 7 in Asia, 2 in South America and 1 in CONCACAF. 4 players are in italian clubs and 2 in each of Argentina, UAE and China.

The first IFFHS WORLD’S BEST TOPGOALSCORER ranking 2015 (1 .1.2015 to 28.2.2015) was topped by Argentina player Gustavo Bou with 6 goals for Racing Club de Avellaneda in Copa Libertadores. Bou made a brilliant start by scoring two hat tricks in his first two matches. He is followed in the ranking by Asian Cup of Nations Top Scorer Ali Mabkhout (UAE – Al Jazira Club), who scored 5 goals with his national team and by Ahmed Khalil also from UAE – Al Ahli Dubaï with 4 goals for his country and 1 for his club.

Within two months of the year, Asian and African Nations Cup were undergone, many friendlies and group stages of continental clubs in CONMEBOL, CONCACAF and AFC started in addition to UEFA clubs knockout stages. For continental club football, counting starts from the group stages (final 32 for UEFA, CONMEBOL and AFC, final 24 for CONCACAF and final 12 for OFC). CAF is the only exception as the group stage starts with the final 8 and goals are considered from the first stage (final 32). For Copa Sudamericana (no group stage), counting starts from final 32. FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA and CAF Super Cup and Recopa Sudamericana are also considered.

World Cup champion coach Joachim Löw of Germany has ended the Spanish domination with a massive victory in the IFFHS National Coach Award for 2014.

Experts from more than 60 countries world-wide had little hesitation in acclaiming Löw as the world’s best for the year, awarding him a massive 220 points, one of the biggest totals and margins since the IFFHS began the annual Awards in 1996.

Famed Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque had previously dominated the national coach title with wins in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Löw ,who has had three previoius placings in the poll, has performed meticulous work in his eight years at the helm of the German national team.

He has adjusted to a game philosophy based on the intelligence and the adaptation capacity of his players, giving a new and attractive image of German football.

Argentina coach Sabella and Holland’s Van Gaal took the minor placings mostly due to the performances of their teams in the World Cup in Brazil.

Other coaches such as Pinto (Costa Rica), Sampaoli (Chile) and Herrera (Mexico) also made significant advances in voting following great team performances in Brazil.

Multiple champion Vfl Wolfsburg has again run away from its opposition and defended its title to be voted by the IFFHS as the World’s Best Woman’s Club for 2014.

Wolfsburg has completed a sweep of championships in 2013 in winning the Bundesliga, the German Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the IFFHS crown.

Football experts from 60 countries around the World took part in the voting organised by the IFFHS, the third year of its annual elections for women’s football.

Wolfsburg gathered 189 points to win by 116 points and again relegated the 2012 winner and 2013 runner-up Olympique Lyon (73 points) to second place with American club Kansas City (48) claiming third.

The result did not come as a surprise as Wolfsburg dominated each competition it contested with an outstanding team which included the 2014 Goalkeeper of the Year in Almuth Schult and captain Nadine Kessler, who is the 2014 FIFA World Player, the 2014 UEFA Player and the 2014 IFFHS Playmaker.

The victory was even more convincing as the French team Olympique Lyon has been a standout performer in women’s football and has been in the world’s Top five for many years.

FC Kansas City, who came third, is the new USA Champion and had a highly successful season which was climaxed by winning the final against the favourite Seattle Reign.

Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti has broken a seven years drought to win the IFFHS 2014 Award as The World’s Best Club Coach.

Ancelotti had previously won the gold medal in 2007 with AC Milan but was a clear winner with Real Madrid in the final world-wide counting of the 18th IFFHS contest.

Under Ancelotti’s guidance, Real Madrid enjoyed a stellar year as winners of the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Championship.

Voting for the 2014 trophy was close with the three leading contestants receiving 90 percent of the vote. Ancelotti took first place (169 points), 30 ahead of Diego Simeone (139), the coach of Atletico de Madrid with Bayern München coach Josep Guardiola third on 76.

Simeone has made steady progress with Atletico since 2012, claiming the Spanish championship as well as being a finalist in the UEFA Champions League.

Guardiola, winner of this Award on 2009 and 2011 made a great comeback with Bayern München in taking third place, after the votings of experts from 60 countries from all continents.